The Peace Weaver
by gingerdorks
Summary: Arendelle must make a choice - hand over Princess Anna to the barbaric Prince Hans or face certain destruction. Viking au.
1. Chapter 1

He sees her in the distance, her elaborate jewellery and fine clothes marking her for what she is: a princess. Her hair glints golden red against the bloody sunset, her eyes flashing as they meet his, a sneer of disgust marring her delicate features. The order to plunder the village dies in his throat as something takes root in his mind, something dangerous…

"Herre? What are your orders?"

He hesitates, sparing the briefest of moments to weigh up the benefits. His mouths curls into a smile as he replies.

"A change of plan…. I don't think we will burn this one,"

"Oh?" the man looks confused, and rightly so. At this stage, waiting for the Red Fox's command to decimate the village was merely a formality, one that ensured his word was law.

"Don't look so surprised, Friedrich. Even I can be merciful…if tempted by the right bargaining chip." He turned and grinned wolfishly. "Have someone set up a meeting. I want to propose a deal,"

"What for, herre? This place is already on its knees… What could they possibly have to offer us by sparing them?"

Hans kneels down, using the cloak of a fallen warrior to wipe his blade. When he is satisfied that it's cleaned to his liking, he sheathes it and turns back to the other man, grinning.

"Why, the princess, of course."

* * *

"What?"

Anna doesn't have time for manners now, not when bodies of the villagers lie bleeding into the ground and one of her guards bears news as repulsive as this.

"They what?" She advanced on him, fire in her eyes.

"Your advisors are having some sort of meeting, your majesty. I believe the barbarians have proposed some sort of treaty?"

"And they dare shut me out?" She seethed, sweeping from the room. She knew she shouldn't shoot the messenger, but controlling her temper was somewhat difficult when she seemed to be facing opposition to her authority at every turn.

She marched down the hallway, focusing on unballing her fists and attempting to walk in a more regal manner. She tried to remember how Elsa walked – so poised, with so much grace…right before she had been oh-so-gracefully run out of the kingdom by suspicious troublemakers. Nothing had ever been the same since; Anna had been expected to take her sisters place, but with far less training and experience than Elsa, she often found her supposed advisors attempting to go behind her back regarding one matter or another.

But enough was enough – Anna would not be cast aside whilst the fate of her people was decided. She had a right to be there, no matter the opinion of the haughty elders. In fact, she may just find herself a few elders short once this whole ordeal was over… She really had tried to be patient, but there was only so many times she could bear being treated this way. Shewas in charge here, and it was time to show it.

She heard low murmuring coming from behind the door of the meeting room, occasionally punctuated with an odd laugh. Were they exchanging jokes? What was the meaning of this? Anna threw open the doors, startling the men of her court but causing the barbarian representatives to merely look round curiously. She narrowed her eyes, noticing those of her advisors grow wide with horror as she approached.

"Am I really that much of a figurehead that I'm not even invited to discuss matters regardingthe safety of my people?"

The barbarians sat back and smirked at Anna's advisors, clearly enjoying the show. A voice whispered in the back of her head that showing dissent in front of the enemy was a bad idea, but how were they supposed to present a united front when she hadn't even been in attendance? It was madness.

"Your highness! What are you doing here?"

"Surely the more prudent question is: why, as crown princess, was I the last to know about this little meeting? And further still, why was I not invited?"

Before the man could answer her questions, one of the representatives spoke.

"Your majesty, I'm afraid there's been a terrible mix-up. You were never intentionally left out, believe me." Anna snorted, between her treacherous advisors and the bloodthirsty beasts from afar, she didn't know who in the room she trusted the least.

"In fact, it is of vital importance that you hear the terms for peace."

Anna eyed the man suspiciously. He was remarkably well-spoken for a savage. Not a speck of blood from the battle was apparent anywhere, either. Perhaps even savages had their own sort of diplomats.

"Yes," she nodded curtly. "It is."

"Actually, may I suggest that you personally agree the terms with our prince? Surely it should be the people in charge making the decisions, not people like us," he gestured around the room to himself and the advisors.

"Now wait just a minute, we haven't -" One of her advisors, Alrik, tried to interject.

Anna cut him off, addressing the barbarian instead. "Well, where is this prince, then? I don't see him with you,"

"He believed coming in himself might walk him straight into a trap. He remains outside."

"He cannot judge everyone by his own standards. Bring him in,"

"Meaning no disrespect, but… he has far more to lose than you at the present time. We have you beaten and surrounded, and the only reason we haven't pillaged this place for all its worth is because he wishes to negotiate."

Ah yes, there it was; that brutish streak. Anna supposed they couldn't ever get rid of itcompletely, no matter how eloquently they spoke.

"Your majesty, going outside would prove unwise, I must advise against this…" The elder man leaned towards her, whispering. "If you just leave it to us, we'll get it all sorted…"

"Oh please, what could he do? Kill me? If he wanted that, I'd be dead already. And you need not worry about the decision. I will not rush into it. I will fully consult with you all before agreeing to any terms, but mark my words, I will be a part of it,"

The man turned away, muttering under his breath. Anna just managed to catch what sounded like "-whether you want to or not,"

Shaking her head at his cryptic words, but not wanting to engage in any further discussion with him, she made her way to the entrance, flanked by both her personal guards and the barbarian representatives. They left the relative safety of the castle and descended the steps to the courtyard, where a small group of fur-clad men were waiting.

She was greeted by the same man she had seen earlier from her balcony. She had initially thought him quite handsome…that is, until she saw him ruthlessly run through at least a dozen men with his sword, which was thankfully tucked away out of sight. For now. His eyes flashed in the rays of the dying sun as he turned to look at her, a smirk breaking across his blood-spattered face.

"Ah, your majesty. Do forgive me, I believe we've not been properly introduced…"

Another eloquent savage. No matter though – no amount of pretty words could hide the monster she knew lurked within.

"No, you killing half the population of my kingdom puts a bit of a dampener on formalities, don't you think?"

"Quite," his smirk morphed into a grin, revealing two unnaturally sharp canines which made the princess suppress a shudder. He looked positively feral. "Although there's no time like the present to rectify that. The Red Fox of the Southern Isles, at your service," he inclined his head, not quite bowing.

"Princess Anna, of the village you're currently pillaging." She mimicked his movement, believing such a beast deserved as little of her respect as she could possibly get away with. "Arendelle, in case you didn't know. I doubt your kind pays much heed to trivial things such as the names of the places you destroy,"

"Oh, but this is wonderful. I never usually have the opportunity to talk with those whose villages I've decimated. Are they all quite as charming as you? If so, I really must make a habit out of it."

Anna ground her teeth together but held her tongue. She mustn't let herself get carried away. He had allowed her those remarks, but she couldn't let this treaty slide for the sake of controlling her temper. Her people needed her, and for once she wanted to be able to prove she could be of some use. She let out a slow breath and straightened her back, looking him straight in the eye.

"I was told you were willing to come to some sort of arrangement. What are your terms for leaving us in peace?"

"They aren't terms, so to speak. More a demand. Just one. Though it is non-negotiable,"

"Non-negotiable?" she blanched. What could he possibly want so much as to propose such an all-or nothing deal?

"Non-negotiable," he repeated, starting to slowly pace back and forth in front of her. "Although, I suppose it doesn't matter much if you refuse, I could just take it anyway. At least this way your little village will remain intact,"

"What is it that you want?" she asked, curiosity piqued. Anna couldn't really think of anything Arendelle had that couldn't be found elsewhere. The tapestries, perhaps? That would explain why he hadn't burnt the place down already.

He stopped pacing and turned to look at her, fire in his eyes again. "You,"

Anna couldn't help the laughter that bubbled to the surface, clapping a hand over her mouth to help keep it in. "I'm sorry, I think I must have misheard you."

"No, you heard me quite right, princess. You, in exchange for the lives of your people."

"You mean…my life?" she looked for his sword, remembering the way it gleamed before it sliced through cloth, flesh, bone.

He laughed, seeming genuinely amused by the idea. "No, no. If I wanted that I would have already taken it." He saw her frown and spoke again. "Let me put it in plainer terms: I take you as my prize, and I won't burn Arendelle to the ground."

She gaped at him, a small voice in the back of her mind wondering if this were a cruel joke, though she knew full well that savages had better things to do with their time than play tricks on her.

"Your - your prize? I am a princess!"

"That merely makes you a better prize, my dear,"

"You're disgusting," she spat. "I'd never go with you!"

"Well then, looks like your little village is doomed. Oh, and -" he leaned towards her conspiratorially, although everyone surrounding them could still hear. "I'll just take you anyway. It'd just serve my purposes better if you weren't traumatised from watching your home razed to the ground, hence why I'm giving you the opportunity to come with me now,"

She took a step back, her hands held up. "There really must be some other arrangement we could come to…" she flailed her arms, as if she were trying to pluck ideas from the air itself. "Trade agreements? A part of our wool stockpile each year? Free passage through our lands? S-something…"

He laughed, those terrible teeth flashing again. "Like I said before, this is non-negotiable."

Anna took another step back, right into her guards. She turned to them, eyes wide and pleading. She saw them look to each other, doubt clouding their features. Their eyes shifted to Alrik, who nodded.

"Apologies, your highness…" one muttered, eyes not quite meeting hers. "But we have no choice,"

"No…" she whispered, backing away a little. But to where? "No!" she dove to the side, not sure where she was running to, but unable to think of any other option.

"After her!" She heard Alrik bellow behind her. Anna knew she wouldn't get far – her gown wasn't really created with running in mind – but she had to try. Had to be free one last time before…before– a rough hand clamped around her wrist, and she found herself being dragged back towards the sea of savage warriors, all matted fur, wild eyes and blood-stains.

"You can't do this! It's treason!" Panic bubbled in her chest, making her voice shrill.

"Princess, treason is an act committed against a ruler…since your dear sister left, you haven't really done so much ruling as moping,"

Anna had hardly suspected Alrik to put up much of a fight against this – with her gone he would be free to seize the power he so desperately wanted – but she'd thought he'd at leastpretend to have some remorse. Hands still restrained by the guards – her own guards – she did all she could think to do, which was to spit right in his face. She felt a grin twist her lips as it trickled slowly and oh-so satisfyingly down his face.

"You're welcome to her!" He looked to the jeering mob, his face contorted in anger. "Despicable behaviour…" he muttered, turning away to dab at his face.

"Says the one serving up the princess like a piece of meat to a bunch of savages!"

The redhead, who had been watching the altercation with a small smile playing across his lips, stepped forward. "Now princess, is that any way to talk about the men who will be taking you in?"

"I think there's a slight difference between taking someone in and kidnapping them!" she hissed, fists clenched.

"It would be best if you didn't see this as a kidnapping, princess…" He smirked, eyes glittering. "As that would imply I had any intention of giving you back,"

"You speak as if I have any intention of going with you to begin with," She lifted her chin defiantly, crossing her – now released – arms.

"And you speak as if you have any choice in the matter. Your people have chosen, and now," he chuckled, beginning to circle around her. "Now? You belong to me," He whispered the last part into her neck and Anna willed herself not to flinch, holding her ground despite the desperate thrumming of her heart against her ribs.

"I belong to no one, least of all the likes of you," She stared straight ahead, doing her best to ignore the way his breath felt against the hairs at her nape.

"That's where you're wrong," he breathed, placing his hands on her waist. Before she had time to react, he spun her to face him before carelessly throwing her over his shoulder as he turned and walked away from her castle, her home.

"What do you think you're doing?" she yelled, in amongst the jeers of his men. "This is completely undignified! Put me down at once! Do you hear me?" The thick furs he was wearing meant he barely felt her fists against his back. Anna wondered if pulling his hair would make him drop her, or just make him angry. She decided to risk it, grabbing a fistful of his fiery locks and yanking down hard. He let out a hiss of pain as his head snapped back, but his stride never faltered.

"'Aving some trouble eh, Fox?" One of his men yelled, the others hooting with laughter.

"I think this one might require some breaking in," He called over his shoulder, letting the hand holding her in place travel to her rump, giving it a possessive squeeze. She kicked out, hoping to catch him in the stomach and make him double over, but he merely chuckled and hoisted her a little higher.

"A difficult one, ent she?" Another one commented as he trudged past.

"Some would say difficult… but I merely say spirited."


	2. Chapter 2

"Now princess, we can do this the easy way…or the hard way,"

"Do what?" Anna asked worriedly, trying to crane her neck to see why the brute had suddenly stopped.

"Ride my horse. It'd be a lot easier for the both of us if you would simply cooperate. If not," she felt his shoulders shift as he laughed. "Then I have no qualms about tying you up and fixing you to the saddle like a spare bag of feed."

"You wouldn't dare," she spat, struggling against him again.

"Oh, I think you'll find that I would," She could hear the laughter in his voice and wished for the hundredth time that her legs were longer so that she could give a swift kick to his crown jewels.

"So," He set her carefully back down on the ground in front of his horse and crossed his arms. "What's it going to be?"

Anna had the strongest desire to punch his stupid blood-smeared face (had he really not bothered to wipe it away yet?) and make another run for it, but they were still only in the outskirts of Arendelle and there were too many of his savage cronies watching. If perhaps she went along with him for enough time, maybe she could lull him into a false sense of security and escape…and hopefully he'd think she wasn't worth the trouble to bother to give chase. He noticed her staring past him and his expression darkened.

"I said," he murmured, gripping her chin to make her look at him. "What's it going to be?"

Anna felt her breath catch in her throat at the dark glint in his eyes. She swallowed before answering, mouth suddenly dry. "What exactly does my cooperating entail?"

"Giving in so easily?" he smirked, looking far too pleased with himself.

Ah, it seemed this so-called prince liked to play games. Perhaps going along with him would serve another purpose – if she stopped fighting back, he'd probably get bored of her pretty quickly. She bit back a scathing reply and shrugged instead, trying to look defeated.

"Looks like it," She gave him a wry smile, trying to look like she was – begrudgingly – accepting her position. He looked a little surprised, but carried on regardless.

"Just sit at the front of the saddle, and stop kicking at me. Although," he flashed a vulpine grin in her direction, "We both know you're just looking for an excuse to touch me,"

She let out a frustrated huff. "Being tied to the saddle is starting to seem a lot more appealing than sitting with you," the response was out of her mouth before she could stop herself, before she could remember that she was trying to bore him.

"Oh, is it now?" he asked softy, stepping forward. He reached past her for one of the saddlebags, pulling out a length of fine rope and starting to untie it. "Are you quite sure about that?"

Anna gulped, watching him pull a short length taut between his hands. She backed away, circling around the other side of the horse. It was bad enough that her own people had already given her away to this…monster, but she'd rather die than find herself trussed up and slung over his horse like an actual war trophy.

"It's fine!" her voice sounded unnaturally high-pitched, even to herself. "I'll get on the horse!" She hiked her dress up and put one foot in the stirrup, using the reins and saddle as leverage to pull herself up. Once settled, she leaned forward to pat the horse's neck. Just because its master was a savage didn't mean that the horse deserved any less respect from her.

"There's a good boy," she whispered, stroking its mane. She hoped her preoccupation with the horse would prevent any further interaction between her and the so-called prince, so she continued to pet it, eyes fixed on the back of its head. She was so busy focusing on resolutely looking anywhere but her captor that she was a little startled when she noticed another man out of the corner of her eye.

"I need to take care of something, watch her whilst I'm gone," he handed the reins to the other man. "Make sure she doesn't get herself into any trouble,"

Anna had a feeling he wasn't talking about the horse, though he was certainly speaking about her as if she was one. She glowered at his retreating back, internally cursing the heavens for whatever cruel twist of fate had brought such a horrible band of people to her home.

"Caused quite the fuss, you have," A deep voice floated up to her. Anna startled, not expecting to be spoken to by one of these men. He peered up at her, heavy brow furrowed.

"I can assure you it was quite unintentional,"

"Intentions count for naught," He looked around, surveying the village border. "You didn't intend for anything, but your village's still standing,"

"Well that's more to do with…him taking a fancy for me than anything else. If he hadn't seen me on the balcony then I could very well be dead by now,"

"Mayhaps fate is on your side?"

"If that were true then it would have sent the lot of you a few miles further south of here," She eyed him suspiciously, wondering why he was being so genial with her. Perhaps he'd been put up to it.

"Why are you being so…reasonable?" she asked, searching his face for any signs of a motive. "Are you trying to get information out of me?"

"Information? About what?" He guffawed, throwing his head back. "Your military tactics?"

Anna tried to ignore his exceptionally loud laughter. "I just didn't think you'd have any other reason to not treat me like dirt,"

The man wiped a tear from his eye before replying. "How about trying to make a good first impression?"

"Why would you care what I think of you?" she shot back, confused.

"Never know when you might need an ally," he shrugged. These barbarians were oddly shrewd.

"A good first impression won't win you my alliance, I'm afraid. Besides, a worthwhile ally holds some sort of sway. I have nothing to offer once I'm outside of Arendelle,"

"You may have more than you thi-" he stopped short, noticing the prince making his way back to them.

"Any trouble?" He asked as he approached the pair, hands held out to take the reins back.

"None at all,"

"Glad to hear it," he said, glancing up at her before turning back. "Prepare to head off soon, we're losing light fast,"

The other man nodded and trudged away, and the prince turned his attention to the various straps and buckles on his horse. She noticed gratefully that he had washed the blood away – he looked a lot less fearsome now that it was gone, although no less wild. Looking closely, she realised that some of what she'd assumed was residual blood spray was actually freckles – he had a healthy amount of them covering his nose and cheeks, making an odd contrast to his devilish eyes. Feeling her eyes upon him, he looked up to catch her gaze.

"See something interesting, princess?" he grinned.

"Yes, actually. I had no idea that you barbarians actually knew how to wash,"

"There are a lot of things that you don't know. Though if you are willing to learn," his eyes blazed into hers. "I would be more than happy to teach you,"

"I know perfectly well how to wash!" she crossed her arms, indignant.

"I wasn't talking about that," She felt her breath catch in her throat as his eyes bored into hers, offering a silent challenge. Anna looked away, unable to withstand the intensity of his stare. She stayed silent and leaned forward to scratch behind the horse's ear, praying he'd go back to the saddlebags.

"You seem to have taken to Sitron quite well," he chuckled, patting the horse's neck.

"Sitron?" She smiled, the name seemed much more innocent than the man who named him.

He seemed to pick up on her thoughts. "I named him when I was a lad. No point changing it now and confusing the poor beast," He paused, his fond smile sliding into a smirk. "Wild animals have a tendency to…lash out when they are unsure of themselves,"

"Well, he's hardly a wild animal, is he?" She asked, pointedly ignoring the implications of his last comment.

"Well, not now that he's been properly trained,"

Anna suppressed a shudder, wondering exactly what his idea of training her would entail. No, she mustn't think about it. She'd find a way to escape him before any of that happened. She had to.

"You're going to have to move your feet from the stirrups," He broke into her thoughts.

"Hmm?"

"We're leaving. We need to make the most of what little light we have left,"

"We'll be riding in the dark?" She felt her stomach drop at the idea of not being able to see where they were going. She'd need to find her way back, after all.

"If we make good time, then no. We just need to get far enough away that your guard can't come slit my throat in the night," His eyes narrowed. "I hope you're not stalling for time, princess. We will leave, be it in the light or dark…"

"No, of course not!" She moved her feet, leaving the stirrups free for him to use. Best they set off quickly, so she could keep an eye out for landmarks.

He hoisted himself up onto the horse, his chest coming to rest flush against her back. She blushed, wishing she'd thought to ride side-saddle; she was far too comfortably nestled into him in this position. His arms encircled hers as he clutched Sitron's reins, effectively boxing her in. She fought the urge to squirm, not wanting to let him know how much this contact bothered her. He jerked the reins, turning Sitron round to face his men and give the order to move off.

His voice carried clearly across to them, without even the need for him to raise his voice. Anna was grateful to not have to put up with the brute bellowing in her ear, though his chest still rumbled against her spine. Anna rolled her shoulder a little, trying to dispel the tingling sensation in her back. The fact that they were moving now hardly helped matters, as he continued to jostle her.

"What's the matter, princess? Have a backache from all the heavy packs you've been carrying?" He chuckled, sparking the odd sensation in her back again.

She laughed loudly, taking care to make it as grating as possible. "Oh but the Red Fox has such a sense of humour," She took advantage of the fact that he couldn't see her face, and allowed herself a rather un-princesslike sneer.

He leaned down to rest his chin on her shoulder, his rough stubble scraping against her neck. "And it seems the princess has quite the attitude," he spoke softly, his breath tickling her ear. Anna hunched her shoulders, an almost unconscious reaction to both his physical presence and the dangerous undertone of his voice.

She had never been particularly good at holding her tongue, but she couldn't believe she was failing so miserably at it now when her life quite possibly depended on it. She bit her lip, willing herself not to let it slip again. "Spirited", he called her, so she needed to be passive, let him think that he'd broken her, and quickly too – what a disappointment of a challenge she'd make herself seem.

"I – I apologise, my lord. I don't know what came over me," she hung her head, gritting her teeth at what she'd been reduced to. Oh, how Alrik would pay when she returned…

"Oh, I think you know exactly what came over you," he removed one of his hands from the reins to brush away some stray strands of hair from her neck. "Not that I don't appreciate you calling me 'lord', but you can drop the act, my sweet."

"A-act? I don't know what you-"

"I think we're both well aware you're not going to go down without a fight," His hand encircled her waist and her gave her a rough squeeze. "No…I haven't broken you just yet. Though I think that, in time, you won't have to make the effort to pretend,"

Her stomach churned at his touch, so violently that she hoped he could feel it – feel how much he genuinely sickened her. She grabbed at his hand, prying it away from her stomach – what was the point of trying to be docile now? He'd seen right through her.

"Keep dreaming, fox. You may think I'm nothing but a war trophy, but princesses aren't quite so easily broken as the animals I'm sure you're used to," She straightened her back to assume the most regal pose she could muster – she'd already been slung over his shoulder like a sack of old potatoes, she may as well get to ride with her head held high. Even if the brute was pressing against her in ways she really wished he wouldn't.

"Oh, but that's the best part – a war trophy is just what you are," He laughed softly. "'To the victor goes the spoils' I believe the phrase is. And the spoils usually turn out to be a pretty princess such as yourself,"

"Usually?" She wrinkled her nose at his words. "Do you just have a stash of princesses locked away in a tower somewhere?" She tried to sound flippant, but she couldn't shake the horrible image that flashed across her mind of being chained to a wall next to a dozen other unfortunate princesses.

"As delightful as that sounds, I don't," His tone darkened somewhat. "I always used to go raiding with my brothers. Being the thirteenth youngest hardly nets you first choice of the spoils. But look at me now," His breath was on her neck again, hot against the chill of the evening. "I have a princess all of my own,"

"You don't have anything!" She growled, lashing out with an elbow. He jerked back with a hiss, yanking at the reins to bring his horse to halt.

"Think what you like, princess, but listen to me and listen well, I am being extraordinarily generous by allowing you to ride with me. Perhaps you have a short memory, but let me remind you that there is a length of rope in my pack just itching to be used if you get out of line…Is that what you want?"

His words cascaded down her back, his soft voice chilling her to the bone and halting her movements. She slowly brought her elbow forward so she could cradle her arms, as if it could keep him at bay.

"…No."

"There, was that so difficult?" he nudged Sitron with his knees, urging him forward again.

Anna grit her teeth and didn't reply, digging her nails into her skin to give herself something to focus on other than the overwhelming desire to inflict bodily harm on the barbarian behind her. She had a number of sharp pins in her hair, if she could just – no. She let a slow breath out through her nose, willing herself to think things through for once. Now was not the time. Later. Later.

"Herre!" Her fantasies of stabbing the Fox's thighs with her hairpins and stealing his precious horse were broken by one of the other barbarians. "We found a good place to set up camp up ahead!"

"Good. Get on with it, then,"

Anna jerked her head up, realising she'd not been paying attention to where they were headed. She twisted her head round; she could see very little in the near darkness though she could tell that Arendelle had long since disappeared over the horizon. Okay, no need to panic. The landscape may be frighteningly unfamiliar, but if she just kept track of where they had come from… She squinted, noticing an oddly shaped tree a little way behind them. If she headed in that general direction once freed, she'd surely end up in Arendelle eventually…

"Hear that, my dove? We'll be setting up camp soon. It should provide a perfect opportunity for us to get more…acquainted with one another,"

Camp. That'd mean lots of sleeping barbarians and unattended horses.

"Perfect," she echoed, tightening her grip on Sitron's mane.


	3. Chapter 3

Anna spent the next few hours clamped tightly to the side of the barbarian prince, not able to get out of his sight for even a second. The warm hand on her side would have been a welcome respite from the cold had the situation been different, had she loved this man the way she knew her mother had loved her father. As it was, Anna made sure to keep her arms crossed and a sour expression on her face at all times – she'd be damned if she was going to be the smiling trophy wife hanging off his arm like he so desperately wanted. The only time she allowed herself to change position was to take a messy swig of mead – partly to help the night feel less bearable (and to help curb the almost ever-present urge to smack the fox in the face) and partly as an attempt to put him off. She was under no obligation to be refined and if he wished for a pretty princess to show off, then she'd just have to show him that she didn't exactly fit the bill.

"You've been sulking for hours now," he leant down to murmur in her ear later that night. "Isn't your face tired from holding the same expression for so long?"

She said nothing, merely huffing and letting her scowl deepen.

"How cute," he laughed softly, his alcohol-tinted breath playing across her cheek. "Don't worry, my sweet, you won't be frowning by the end of the night – I'll make sure of that,"

"W-what?" She finally turned to him, horrified. "You can't possibly mean that – that…" Surely even savages had rules about this sort of thing?Surely.

"Does the idea of sharing my tent not please you?" He raised his brows in mock-offence. "I can assure you that you wouldn't be disappointed. I know exactly what it is that I'm doing…" He leaned closer, flashing a lecherous grin.

"I wouldn't be pleased by the idea of sharing anything with you if we were the last people left alive in this land!" She leant back as far as she could, wrinkling her nose in disgust.

"So you're not curious at all?" His eyes searched hers, the firelight revealing a depth in them that she hadn't noticed before.

"C-curious about what?" she stuttered, flustered by his sudden closeness.

"Curious about what it would be like to be in my arms tonight,"

She said nothing, distracted by the hand caressing her cheek. He brought his hand beneath her chin, tilting it up with a surprising gentleness. Anna found herself unable to move as he drew closer, her eyes fluttering shut when she saw his gaze trained on her mouth. She braced herself for the touch of his lips…but it never came. She opened her eyes to find him smirking at her, something like triumph glittering in his eyes.

"It seems perhaps you are," he said, his thumb stroking her lower lip.

"Get off me!" She growled, jerking back. That look in his eyes…too much like Alrik when he had handed her over. She had had quite enough of scheming and deceit from her own people, let alone some savage. "I'm curious for nothing, least of all anything to do with you,"

"So you say," he allowed her to pull away, his eyes curiously roving over her face. "But your actions tell a different story,"

"My actions say that I am tired and wish to sleep," She stood, crossing her arms. "By myself," She added, narrowing her eyes for good measure.

He looked up at her, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth, before rising from his seat. "As you wish," He held out his arm. "Shall we?"

Anna took a step backwards, stubbornly refusing to uncross her arms. "I think I would prefer to follow your lead," Her tone did not match her polite words, but the Fox merely raised his eyebrows, feigning shock.

"And here I thought that I was supposed to be the uncivilised one," He said, starting towards the tents. "It's this way," He looked back over his shoulder to check that she was following. How paranoid could he be, she wondered; she could hardly make a break for it with more than a dozen men still behind her around the fire.

"Well here it is, Princess, your sleeping quarters," he gave a mock bow, flourishing his arm towards the entrance.

"It's bigger than the others," she noted.

"Yes, well," His lips twitched. "It's meant for two people,"

"On second thought, it's exactly the right size for a princess," She started to duck inside, turning at the last minute to frown at the prince. "I trust you'll leave me in peace tonight. I'd have no issue choking you with your own furs if I wake up to find you next to me,"

"Oh, don't worry about that," he grinned, eyes glittering. "I don't plan on taking you until you absolutely beg for it,"

She straightened, her expression matching his. "Perhaps this arrangement has some merit after all." With these parting words she entered the tent, not bothering to wait for his reaction.

As Anna settled herself into a comfortable position, she heard a slight chuckle before the Fox's footsteps receded, swallowed by the sounds of drunken revelry. She sighed, wondering how long it would be before the barbarians went to sleep; the sooner she escaped the better, and she couldn't risk dozing now, lest she sleep through til morning and miss her chance. A loud burst of laughter broke into her thoughts, startling her. Massaging her temples, she heaved another sigh – this was going to be a long night.

* * *

The first time Anna ducked out of her tent that night, she ran straight into the Fox.

"Going somewhere?" He flashed her a knowing grin and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow.

"No!" she squeaked, surprised to find him here. Was he sleeping outside her tent, trying to catch her out? "I just need to – take care of some things,"

"Things?" His expression didn't change. He'd obviously guessed that he'd rumbled her.

"Yes. Things. Lady things. Someone like you couldn't possibly understand,"

"I can assure you, I'm quite familiar with blood,"

"Of course you are," she replied, scrunching her nose in disgust at the memory of it smeared all over his face. "But – that's not what I meant,"

"Oh? And just what other lady things might you be attending to?"

"That's none of your concern," she sniffed, folding her arms.

"You see, that's where you're wrong. Everything that happens in this camp is my concern,"

Anna's eyes narrowed. "So I take it that you're personally notified every time one of your men steps out to relieve himself,"

"If it interferes with anyone's tasks, then yes,"

"You know, I keep trying to give you the benefit of the doubt, but you really all are savages here," Anna pressed the heel of her hand to her forehead, raising her eyes to the heavens. "What did I even begin to do that was so wrong that made me deserve this?"

"Come now, there's no need to resort to dramatics because you can't get your way,"

Anna dropped her hand and scowled. "I can assure you that it's no understatement to say that I must be cursed by the gods themselves to have ended up in the presence of such foul-mannered barbarians,"

Looking amused, he opened his mouth to respond, but she cut him off. "If all you're going to do is mock me then I bid you goodnight...again."

She hurried back into the tent, glad that nothing too bad had come of the Fox catching her. She was just about to breathe a sigh of relief when he spoke up, his voice making her jump.

"You know, princess," It was a little unnerving to have him speak to her when she couldn't see his face. "Some of your – ah – friends back at your castle were good enough to fetch me some of your belongings before we left. I assumed a princess as refined as yourself would not want to sleep in her clothes,"

"And why did you not tell me about this before?" Anna obviously had no intention of going to sleep, but she had to at least pretend to be offended that he had let her go to bed without her night-things.

"Well, I assumed you would find the items by yourself. They are, after all, underneath the covers,"

"W-why on earth would they be somewhere as silly as that?" She exclaimed, her outrage not faked this time – how dare he try and catch her out? "I never sleep under the covers!" She winced, glad that he couldn't see her face; she never had been very good at lying.

"Is that so?" He sounded utterly unconvinced.

She could have slapped herself – why did she even allow herself to hope that he would believe such an awful lie? Away from the fire, a chill had crept in; were she actually trying to sleep she would have burrowed down under the covers as far as possible, fur or no fur. As it was, she was hoping that the cold would help keep her awake – it wouldn't do to let herself get too warm or comfortable, in case she fell into a doze and didn't wake til morning.

"If you want something to be seen, then I suggest you put it in clear view," She adopted the haughtiest tone she could muster, pretending to herself that he had believed her.

"Thank you for the advice, princess," She didn't even need to be looking at him to tell that he was smirking. "I'll bear that in mind,"

With that she heard him trudge away. Just how late was it anyway – why was he still awake? It felt as if she had been waiting all night for everyone to fall asleep. Anna stifled a yawn, wondering just how long she'd have to stay up before she could execute her plan. If you could even call it a plan, that is… "Sneak out of the tent, steal a horse and ride like the wind back to Arendelle" seemed perhaps a little too vague to be referred to as an actual plan… shouldn't some strategizing be involved somewhere? Never mind, best keep things simple. The less steps there were, the less chance she had of messing up, right? Right. So why did she have a terrible feeling that it would all go wrong? She sighed and buried her face in her hands, thankful for an opportunity to rest her tired eyes. Surely it wouldn't hurt to rest them for a few moments? Surely…

Anna woke up with a start, realising that – damn it all – she'd let herself drift off. What was that again about just knowing things would go wrong? She groaned and got to her feet, still a little groggy from sleep. Thankfully, it was still dark outside, meaning she at least hadn't slept through until dawn. With any luck, the Fox and his awful cronies had dropped off by now. Peeking cautiously outside, Anna was relieved to find it deserted, though much darker than it had been earlier; a number of the torches had been extinguished, and only a few remained lit. After checking one last time that she was alone, Anna cautiously slid outside, creeping towards where she remembered the horses to be kept. She blinked heavily, trying to acclimatise to the darkness as she slowly inched forward, her hands outstretched to help her avoid any obstacles. Her left hand brushed up against something in the dark, startling her. She let out a little squeak of alarm and jumped backwards, tangling her foot in her dress, sending her toppling over backwards.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Her arms flailed wildly, looking for something to grab hold of. She managed to snag what felt like rough fabric in her fist, but instead of helping to anchor her, it came down with her, Anna letting out a yelp of surprise at her continued descent. She landed on something that was definitely not the hard ground she was expecting, a little huff of air escaping from whomever she'd fallen on. Just when Anna thought things couldn't get any worse, she felt a hand clamp around her wrist and an all-too-familiar voice rumble beneath her. "If you wanted to visit my tent, princess, you only had to ask,"

Of course. Of course she had fallen into a tent, and of course it happened to be his.

"Keep dreaming, Fox," She spat, struggling against his iron grip, "In fact, why don't I help you? A swift kick in the head will help speed things along, and you'll be back in your fantasy land in no time,"

He chose to ignore her threat, goading her further. "Well, if you weren't out here looking for me, then just what were you doing, hmm?" He had sat up now, and had grabbed her other wrist, pulling her closer to face him.

"Sleepwalking," she deadpanned. "I was sleepwalking."

She could hear more than see the grin on his face as he replied. "Funny, it seems more like your dreams involve you visiting me in the dead of night…"

"I am a princess, you pig!" She wished it weren't so dark, purely so he could see the look of pure venom she was shooting him.

He laughed, low and derisive. "Even princesses are not immune to their desires,"

"Well, this one doesn't have any desires to worry about!"

"Is that so?" He got to his feet, pulling Anna up with him. "Not even the desire to oh, say, escape?"

She said nothing, focusing instead on trying to free her wrist as he dragged her outside into the night. He turned towards a light in the distance, towing Anna along behind him.

"Friedrich!" He called into the night.

They turned a corner to find two men sat at a makeshift table, bathed in the light of a torch. They looked up from their cards at the sound of the Fox's voice.

"Friedrich! Guess what I found?" One of the men laughed in response and stood, drawing closer.

"A mouse creeping around the camp?" The man folded his arms, an amused smile tugging at his lips.

"Even better," The Fox grinned, letting Anna finally wrench herself loose. "A princess,"

She glared at him, rubbing the red mark he'd left on her wrist. She bit back a few choice words, not wanting to inflame the situation any further. Who was this man? Why had she been brought here? She clutched her sore wrist to her chest, trying to ignore the desperate thrumming of her heart, her eyes darting back and forth between the two men.

"Leaving so soon?" Friedrich's eyes had flicked to Anna, his voice mocking.

She narrowed her eyes at him, almost having to quite literally swallow back the urge to spit at him. She blinked a little at this thought – one day with these brutes and she was already starting to think like them! She needed to get back to Arendelle, and fast – who knows what else she might end up doing were she to stay with them? She shuddered to even imagine.

"Not before stumbling right into my tent," He sounded far too satisfied about this, green eyes crinkling as they swept over Anna.

"Oh?" She could almost see the other man's ears prick up at this.

"Sleepwalking, she says,"

"Of course," He looked back to her again, taking in her appearance. "Sleepwalking whilst fully dressed. It could happen to anyone," He sighed deeply before uncrossing his arms, reaching for his belt. "It looks like you win this one,"

The Fox's smile only seemed to grow wider. "Pay up, then," he held his hand out to Friedrich, who grumbled before dropping a few coins into his waiting palm.

Anna stared, dumbfounded, as the Fox pocketed his winnings, a smug smirk plastered all over his face. "This was a bet?"

"It seems you're more predictable than you think, Princess,"

"Predictable how?"

"Well you see, Friedrich here thought you'd wait a while before trying to run. Bide your time, form a plan. I, on the other hand, knew you'd make a move tonight."

"You don't know anything," She scoffed. "Me falling into your tent doesn't prove I was trying to run,"

"I know you like to think we're stupid, princess, but we're not that dim-witted,"

"Could have fooled me," She muttered, the words past her lips before she could register them.

The Fox raised his eyebrows, exchanging incredulous glances with Friedrich before replying. "You know, you're absolutely right," Anna's eyes shot up to meet his, narrowing in suspicion. "You're far too clever for us, princess. In fact, I don't think it would be wise for you to be left unsupervised tonight, for who knows what clever schemes and terrible plots you could concoct if left alone in that tent?"

She faltered, caught off guard. "You – you promised I would be left alone tonight,"

"I did, but that was a gesture of goodwill that I'm going to have to take back. You'll need to earn back my trust if you want the privilege of privacy back,"

"Trust? Trust? When you're betting against me with your henchmen?"

"Henchman?" Friedrich looked offended.

"That's a new one," The Fox noted wryly. "Don't be too upset, Friedrich, it's a lot tamer than what people usually call you,"

Friedrich's pout slipped into a grin at these words. "Aye, that's true," He turned to look back at his drinking companion. "I think I'll leave you to it, this lowlife will start switching cards if I leave him alone long enough,"

"I heard that!" He called over. "Any excuse so long as you don't have to admit you're just bad at cards,"

Friedrich laughed as he returned to the game, bickering slightly with the other man, leaving the Fox to turn his attention to Anna.

"Well princess, I think we've both lost enough sleep for this evening – best we hurry off to bed so you don't fall off the horse tomorrow," He started off back the way they came, Anna reluctantly trailing after him, not wishing to be dragged again.

"You are not sleeping in the same tent as me," She said, resolutely crossing her arms.

"Oh, really?" He sounded amused. "I think you're forgetting who's in charge of this camp, princess. With the way you've been behaving, you're lucky I don't make you sleep with the horses," Her eyebrows shot up at this, still surprised that he would dare speak to her in such a manner. "Though obviously you proved that you need someone with you to prevent you from blindly running around camp again,"

She opened her mouth to argue, but he cut her off. "Besides, my tent has been ruined by a certain someone. It'll need to be fixed before I can use it again." He glanced pointedly at the tent as they passed it; the hole Anna had ripped in the fabric was glaringly obvious, even in the dim torchlight.

"Usually the person responsible would do the fixing. But don't worry," He glanced at her, chuckling. "I think I'll make an exception just this once,"

"You are too kind," She replied acidly.

"Well, I hardly expect a princess to know needlework. Not the practical kind, anyway,"

Anna probably would have been insulted if she weren't so relieved that he didn't expect her sit around all day darning his damned tent. Then again, he probably didn't exactly trust her with sharp objects quite yet.

"Well princess, here we are again," He said, coming to a halt outside of the tent she had just crept out of. Anna held back a sigh, cursing her clumsiness – she could have been gone by now had she simply not tripped…

"Now, unless you want to sleep in your finery, I suggest you get changed. You have five minutes from now: no matter your choice, I will be coming in. Though if you decide to delay until I am with you, know that you will hear no complaints from me,"

She opened her mouth to protest, but the look in his eyes told her he was deadly serious. Before she could think of an appropriate response, he interrupted. "I'd hurry up if I were you, the five minutes have already started. Unless you're waiting for me, that is," he flashed what Anna was beginning to recognise as his trademark grin – high on one side and all too many teeth. "In which case you should say so now and save us some time which could be better spent on other things," His hungry gaze travelled over her, making her feel terribly exposed.

She couldn't help the gasp that escaped her before she turned heel and hurried inside to change. She supposed she should be grateful that he wasn't forcing himself on her, but Anna had never been one to appreciate small mercies. Besides, she could hardly relax when he seemed to have made it his life goal to make her uncomfortable – god knows what he'd do when they were alone together.

She pulled back the covers to find her night-things there – as promised. At least that hadn't been a trick she thought, rolling her eyes. She set to work on undoing her dress, thankful that she was dressed more simply that day, so that she didn't have so many ties to contend with.

"Time's running o-out," He sing-songed. Anna couldn't help but find it odd – how boyish he could still sound, despite all the atrocities he had committed.

"Hold on!" She snapped, struggling to lift her dress over her head. Oh, how she missed her handmaidens right about now…

She finally broke free of the garment, tossing it aside quickly so she could focus on getting into her nightgown before the Fox could burst in, tongue no doubt lolling like the animal he was named after. Anna shuddered at the mental image, slipping the gown on and rubbing at her arms in an attempt to get rid of the goosebumps that had appeared on them, despite the garment's long sleeves.

"Are you done?" His voice drifted into the tent, snapping her back to reality.

"Yes," She replied, trying to keep her tone as cool as possible and her answers as short as she could.

"Good," He said, parting the cloth at the entrance so he could get inside. "Good," He repeated, his eyes roving over her.

Anna had never particularly cared for her nightgown, but at this moment she couldn't help but praise the gods for how modest it was; it left everything to the imagination, and gave the Fox barely an inch of skin to peek at. Perfect. If he were disappointed at this, he did not show it; he merely considered the bed before looking back up at Anna.

"Do you have a preference for which side you sleep on?"

"Huh?" She blinked at him, genuinely taken aback by his question.

"Which side do you want?" he asked again, gesturing to the bed.

"Uhhhh," There didn't seem to be any difference between the two sides. Did it matter? She normally splayed all over her bed when she slept anyway. "I don't know. This one?" She dropped down, quickly slipping beneath the furs and turning her back to him.

After a few moments she heard his voice behind her. "You know, there's no need to make an exception for me, princess,"

"What?" She would have turned to glare at him, but was at this point far too sleepy for another one of his games.

"You said you never sleep under the covers, didn't you? No need to start on my account,"

Anna resisted the urge to groan, instead focusing on keeping the frustration out of her voice. "It's – colder than it was earlier. Besides, I didn't actually mean never…"

"So when you say 'never', you mean 'only sometimes'? How strange. I'll make sure to bear that in mind,"

"Bear nothing in mind, Fox, for whenever I say 'never' to you I will always mean it,"

"If you say so, princess,"

"I do say so! And I'll thank you not to question me," She grumbled, shifting to get comfortable, which was actually far easier than she thought it would be, considering the softness of the pelts. "Now leave me in peace so I can get some sleep!"

Anna heard soft laughter from behind her before his quiet reply of "Goodnight, princess."


End file.
